This weekend, violence against Black people and Black families again prevailed, when Charleena Lyles, a Black mother of four pregnant with her fifth child, was shot and killed by two police officers in front of her children in their Seattle home.

This news comes on the heels of last week’s acquittal of Officer Yanez, the police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile in his car last summer. Shock, pain, and anger, reverberate throughout the country, as time and time again, the justice system fails Black people.

The National Domestic Workers Alliance issued the following statement:

“Our hearts go out to the families of Charleena Lyles and Philando Castile, who had to witness the fatal shootings of their loved ones. The Minneapolis police officer who killed Castille was acquitted on all charges. Acquittals of police officers who kill Black people are all too common. We are outraged, and we are grieving as yet another opportunity for justice, courage and integrity was squandered. Diamond Reynolds, Philando’s girlfriend, her 4 year-old daughter who witnessed the shooting, and Philando’s mother, Valerie Castile are now left to bear the burden of this failure to deliver justice on the part of our justice system.

“Too many women are being failed by a broken democracy that does not value our families or our lives. There is no justice in this jury’s decision. We cannot continue to have one set of rules for police officers and another for everyone else.

“Castile and Reynolds now joins hundreds of mothers, partners, siblings, and children who will forever share the experience of having a family member or loved one killed by the people who are sworn to protect them. Black women should not have to carry this burden on their shoulders.

“We must send a clear message to officers who don’t follow the rules, and we must stand strong. That’s why we urge people to take action and sign the petition by Color of Change to keep Officer Yanez from being rewarded with administrative leave for his cowardly and devastating act.”

About the National Domestic Workers AllianceNational Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers. It’s won legislation protecting domestic workers’ rights in seven states including New York, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon, Connecticut, and Illinois. The Alliance is powered by over 60 affiliate organizations — plus local chapters in Atlanta, Durham, Seattle and New York City — of over 20,000 nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers for the elderly and people with disabilities in 37 cities and 18 states.